Commercial Executive

About Proper Cornish

Proper Cornish is a well-established, proudly Cornish business based in Bodmin, specialising in high-quality pasties and pastry products enjoyed by customers across the UK. Founded in 1988, we employ approximately 300 colleagues and generate an annual turnover of approximately £37 million, combining traditional craftsmanship with modern food manufacturing.

As part of a growing group, we have recently joined IDAK (IDAK Food Group AG | IDAK) and benefit from the backing of a major private equity organisation, providing long-term investment, stability and support.

The Role

We are looking for a friendly, organised and commercially minded Commercial Executive to join our Sales Team. This is an exciting opportunity for someone who enjoys building strong customer relationships, spotting opportunities for growth and representing a well-loved Cornish brand with pride and professionalism.

Working as part of the Proper Cornish Sales Team, you will support and grow an existing customer portfolio through upselling, cross-selling and excellent day-to-day account support. You will be the key point of contact for end-user accounts, helping customers get the very best from our products, branding and point-of-sale materials.

The role will involve visiting customer sites to ensure our products are well presented and merchandised in line with brand standards, supporting campaigns, helping units increase sales, and training customer teams on the best way to bake and present our pastry products. You will also attend customer and commercial meetings, support exhibitions and presentations, and provide feedback on opportunities or risks within your customer base.

We are looking for someone with excellent written and verbal communication skills, strong interpersonal skills and the ability to manage several priorities at once. You will be confident with numbers, comfortable negotiating, highly organised and passionate about delivering a great customer experience.

Hours of work: 37.5 hours per week

Days of work: Monday to Friday

Location: Home based, with customer site visits as required. Occasional long-distance driving required which can include hotel stays.

Salary: Competitive

Bonus: Related to channel budget performance

Car: Fully funded company car

Key Responsibilities

• Delivering sales growth from an existing customer portfolio.
• Providing customer support as part of the Proper Cornish Sales Team.
• Acting as the point of contact for end-user accounts.
• Visiting customer sites to support branding, merchandising, point-of-sale standards and product availability.
• Working with individual units to help increase daily spend on our products.
• Training and mentoring customer teams on baking and presenting our pastry products.
• Supporting customer campaigns, meetings, exhibitions and presentations.
• Representing the company in a professional, friendly and customer-focused manner at all times.

About you:

• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal.
• Strong interpersonal and relationship-building skills.
• Highly organised, with the ability to prioritise and manage multiple tasks.
• Good commercial awareness and confidence working with numbers.
• Strong negotiation skills.
• A friendly, honest and customer-first approach.
• Passion for quality and pride in representing the Proper Cornish brand.

Why Join Proper Cornish?

• Join a respected and growing food brand with strong heritage
• Opportunity to shape and elevate a well-loved UK brand
• Lead impactful marketing initiatives with visible commercial influence
• Work within a collaborative and ambitious team environment

Proper Perks

• Company‑funded Health Cash Plan
• Death in Service plan
• Employee Assistance Programme (24/7 helpline)
• Mental Health First Aiders
• Free use of spa & golf facilities in St Austell
• Employment anniversary cash awards
• £500 colleague referral bonuses
• Subsidised staff canteen
• Free pasties and pastries every day
• Huge discounts on pasties, pastries, cakes, and tarts
• Weekly free fruit
• Birthday voucher for the canteen
• Regular staff BBQs
• Monthly colleague treats
• Christmas celebrations and goodies
• Local business discounts
• Strong internal communication and colleague engagement initiatives
• Excellent career development opportunities

If you are commercially driven, people focused and excited by the opportunity to help customers grow their sales while bringing our brand to life, we would love to hear from you.

Apply today!

Closing Date: 14th August – first interviews will be via Teams during the first week September approx.

Please note this vacancy may close early if we receive a high number of applications, so early submission is encouraged.